


If Only He Wasn't In Love

by stillifall



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Getting Together, Jealous Eddie Diaz, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24031612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillifall/pseuds/stillifall
Summary: Eddie turned around and found Josh. He was standing next to him, a drink in his hand, his eyes glued to Buck. The feeling on the pit of his stomach faded into one that he was now bitterly familiar with.“If he wasn’t already in love with someone else I would ask him out,” Josh mentioned like it was the most casual phrase. Eddie widened his eyes, glancing between Buck and Josh.“That’s the only thing stopping you?”OR in which Eddie is jealous because he thinks Josh and Buck are becoming a thing but Josh knows Buck is already in love with him.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 617





	If Only He Wasn't In Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you guys enjoy this, I thought it was fun to write. Anyway, take care and stay safe! Comment (please) it makes quarantine easier :,D Enjoy!

When Buck mentioned hanging out with Josh for the first time, Eddie didn’t think of anything. He didn’t know a single Josh. He didn’t know that Buck knew a Josh. But that’s okay, because they didn’t need to know every little aspect of their lives. He knew that Buck talked to other people outside work, he had to at one point. And well, so did Eddie. 

So no, it wasn’t a surprise.

Josh, as Eddie came to know, was Maddie’s coworker. From what little he gathered from Buck, he was a good dude. Kind. Patient. He gossiped with Maddie. He didn’t really know what made him stand out enough for Buck to keep bringing him up though. (He did know however, that whenever Josh was brought up his stomach would do a weird flip and his jaw would clench without him noticing.)

What _was_ a surprise, was the double date.

“It wasn’t a double date Chimney,” Buck replied, his tone light and teasing. Chimney was making them both coffee at the station. Eddie’s grip on his own mug tightened.

“You guys went on a date?” Eddie asked, his question coming out more harshly than he meant to. Buck didn’t notice.

“Chimney is being dramatic. Yeah, it was the two of us and Maddie and Chimney. But we are single-” Buck glanced up at him, his eyes scanning Eddie for a second, and smiled, “and besides you were busy so I had to find a new partner.” Eddie rolled his eyes, trying to hide the smirk on his face. He let Buck’s words wash over him, like warm reassurance that he was still-

_ (Still what? His best friend? His priority? That was selfish.) _

“Right, but you two could-”

“Hey, didn’t I ask you two to clean the equipment?” Both Chimney and Buck turned around, finding Cap with his arms crossed, a stern look on his face. They shared a panicked look before rushing downstairs, tripping over their own feet, no doubt wanting to avoid a lecture by Bobby.

Eddie stifled a chuckle, only walking away when Bobby shot him a look. 

* * *

So Josh was definitely becoming a thing now.

He was now hanging out with Buck, now without Maddie. Or Chimney. Eddie didn’t mind. He really didn’t. In fact, he was happy that Buck found another friend. Buck was always the type of person who could never have enough friends, and Eddie knew that he got a lot of joy by clicking with people. 

So yeah, if Josh made Buck happy, then yeah he could go along with whoever this Josh was. He could ignore sharp pang of- ( _jealousy)._

Besides, it's not like he was spending less time with him. Or Christopher. At least not yet. Only a few times. He just wished that Buck and Josh didn’t have to get along so well. 

“So Maddie told me you and Josh are doing movie night,” Chimney mentioned, everyone around him hearing. Hen looked up from her phone, an eyebrow up.

“Do I know this Josh?” Eddie looked at Hen, and for the first time, he felt like he wasn’t out of the loop with knowing this guy. Like he wasn’t the only one asking about this new person in their lives. 

“You haven’t met him yet. He’s a cool guy,” Buck responded. Eddie was hung up on the ‘yet’, because does that mean that he was going to introduce them soon? Was he becoming so important in Buck’s life that now he wanted everyone to meet him? Buck wasn’t replacing him, Eddie reassured himself. Josh was just a friend. Eddie was- Well he was also a friend but-

_ (But they had something more, Eddie thought. Even without labels, he knew, they had something more.) _

“Oh cool. So movie night?” Eddie spaced out from the rest of the conversation, only a couple of sentences catching his attention. 

(Like how movie night was actually just Josh and Buck. At an actual movie theater. Not with blankets and popcorn and old dvds, not how he and Eddie have movie nights. He ignored Hen’s teasing that it was a date, and he pretended not to hear Buck’s flattered laughter.)

* * *

The third time, he had the pleasure of actually meeting Josh and confirming that he was a real human being. They were all at Athena’s house, having a party. Eddie couldn’t place the reason on why they were celebrating, but he wasn’t going to turn down an invitation to celebrate with his family. 

Of course, Buck brought Josh as his plus one. He introduced him to everyone and as much as Eddie hated it, Josh fit right in. He was patient and funny. Eddie tried to find a reason to justify the feeling in his stomach, but he couldn’t. Because Josh was a good guy. He hated it. (He didn’t actually hate it. He just didn’t like the way he would joke with Buck, with such ease. Eddie knew Buck longer and better. Those smiles should have been Eddie’s. Eddie wasn’t Josh.)

As the night went on, he found himself sipping a beer as he watched Buck play with May and Harry and Christopher. When Buck stepped away from hanging with Josh,Eddie couldn’t recall. But he felt better knowing that Buck was with the kids. With his kid. They were all laughing at something, and judging by Buck’s hand gestures, Eddie guessed it must be a funny story about a call. This time, the feeling in the stomach felt like a ball of excitement. It felt warm and safe and comforting. He smiled without noticing.

“He’s really good with kids,” someone said next to him. Eddie turned around and found Josh. He was standing next to him, a drink in his hand, his eyes glued to Buck. The feeling on the pit of his stomach faded into one that he was now bitterly familiar with.

“If he wasn’t already in love with someone else I would ask him out,” Josh mentioned like it was the most casual phrase. Eddie widened his eyes, glancing between Buck and Josh.

“That’s the only thing stopping you?” 

Not the fact that Buck was (probably) straight, but the fact that apparently Buck already loved someone else. Eddie stopped, his brain trying and failing to register the new information. Eddie couldn’t stop himself from feeling betrayed that Josh knew about that before him. 

“Well yeah, what else would it be?” Josh answered, the tint of a smirk on his face. Eddie’s grip on his beer hardened.

“Buck is- well you know-”

“A firefighter? Bisexual? Maddie’s brother?”

Eddie only looked away, trying to compose himself. Because he still needed to get information out of Josh and he couldn’t do that if he got angry, or jealous, or too flustered at thinking that Buck-

(He could actually have a shot with Buck.)

“So he’s in love? He didn’t mention anything to me,” Eddie mumbled. Josh only snorted.

“Figures.” 

Before Eddie could question that, Buck was yelling Eddie’s name.

“Hey Eddie, could you tell these kids how I don’t have bad luck!” Eddie chuckled, and with one last look at Josh, moved towards Buck.

* * *

“So Josh told me something the other day at the party,” Eddie began. They were both in his house, cleaning up what mess they had made after baking with Christopher. Buck laughed.

“Oh my god, you talked with Josh? Enough to get some gossip?” Buck seemed amused at the idea, and before Eddie could continue, Buck was already talking again, “Not going to lie man, I thought you didn’t like him. Every time I brought him up you would get this small scowl on your face and crunch up rightttt here,” He put his finger in the crease of his eyebrows. 

Eddie waved his hand away, trying to keep himself from blushing at the contact.

“I did not. I just didn’t really know him.”

“Right. I think you, Eddie Diaz, were jealous,” Buck teased, leaving the rag he had on his hand on the counter and shooting him a smug smile. Eddie rolled his eyes, but didn’t deny it. He really couldn’t. Not when he became familiar with that small ache in his chest, and the way his stomach would twist in all the wrong ways. 

“Yeah, I was. Turns out though, I was jealous of the wrong person.” At that Buck gaped. He kept on looking at Eddie, as if he was waiting for him to throw another joke, or to say he was teasing. But he wasn’t. He was done tiptoeing the line of flirting and friendship. Eddie cleared his throat, turning to face him.

“He told me you were in love with someone.” Buck shifted his eyes away from him, the blush creeping up on his cheeks.

“Dammit Josh,” he muttered under his breath. Eddie collected all the courage he had and took a step forward, noticing how Buck didn’t step back, but rather started to redden.

“Anyone I know?”

Buck scoffed, noticing how close they were. He didn’t seem nervous anymore, flustered yes, but not nervous. He met Eddie’s eyes and shook his head, a playful smile on his face. Eddie felt his heartbeat faster. For the first time, he knew exactly what all the feelings cursing through his bones was. He could feel, with every inch of his skin, the want to hear those words from Buck.

“You are really going to make me say it, huh?” Before Eddie had a chance to reply, Buck gripped him by his shirt collar and pulled him towards him, their lips crashing in a rush of adrenaline and want and worn out patience. Eddie hummed onto the kiss, trying to keep himself steady as Buck gently bit on his lower lip and pulled away. The younger man held a proud grin on his face. 

“I’m in love with you.” 

Buck stepped closer, filling any gaps between their bodies and looked at Eddie.

“And I think you are in love with me.” 

“You are really gonna make me say it?” Eddie whispered, trying to find words which proved hard when Buck was looking at him like that. Buck grinned, pulling the man in for another kiss.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> follow me in tumblr!: @911inspo


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